Get the latest news & insights

Harvest season inspires new flavors at la Madeleine

Aug. 31, 2015

As the harvest season approaches, la Madeleine Country French Café is celebrating with new pasta dishes and seasonal bakery items. The offerings include a Spicy Basque Country Pasta and a Creamy Pasta Lyonnaise, inspired by France’s Basque Country and Lyon, and new bakery items highlighting the season’s best ingredients from Nantes and Normandy: a rich carrot cake and a baked apple crème danish, according to a company press release.

"Our fall menu is inspired and flavored by numerous regions of France," said Susan Dederen, VP of culinary for la Madeleine. "The Basque Country in southwestern France borders Spain, which is where various spices and peppers are used in traditional recipes. Our Spicy Basque Country Pasta takes influence from this region with the use of these types of ingredients. As our Creamy Pasta Lyonnaise is influenced from the historic food culture of Lyon, its savory demi-glace sauce makes for a perfect representation of this region."

The two new pasta dishes feature complementary flavor profiles. Sautéed in a tomato Gruyere sauce, the Spicy Basque Country Pasta is prepared with chorizo, roasted garlic and red bell peppers. The Creamy Pasta Lyonnaise is complete with bacon, mushrooms, red bell peppers and is finished in a rich, savory demi-glace sauce. Both pastas are paired with a freshly baked mini sea salt baguette, Dederen said.

"In the French countryside, the menu changes with the season, and fall is a wonderful time for food," said John Cahill, president of the Dallas-based brand. "At la Madeleine, we want our guests to feel as though they have entered a country French atmosphere where they can slow down, savor their meal and enjoy truly delicious food they can’t find elsewhere. We invite guests to enjoy this fall harvest season with us in the company of friends and family."

This season, la Madeleine’s dedicated pastry chefs have crafted numerous festive bakery items, featuring harvest-fresh apples and carrots, Cahill said. The traditional carrot cake excites the palate with its sweet pineapple, rich cream cheese frosting, and toasted almonds. Guests will also enjoy the new apple crème danish, which is baked with golden apples, homemade pastry crème and streusel while topped with a cinnamon fondant. Celebrating the festive side of the season, cafés are also offering a new iced pumpkin sugar cookie.

"We have certainly allowed the fall season to lead the way in the bakery," Dederen said. "By taking advantage of fresh carrots and apples within our bakery recipes, both of which are popular during the French harvest season, we have created perfectly sweet and festive bakery items for our guests."